1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a map information providing method, a map information providing system, and a recording medium on which the method programed is recorded, for obtaining map information accumulated in a database by using the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, various information is provided from the world through a WWW(World Wide Web) server on the Internet using the Internet protocol. A user can get necessary information by operating a terminal unit connected to the Internet and carrying out a retrieval.
There is a map information retrieval-display service as one of various information services provided through the Internet. The above service has a map database, and by accessing the Web-server connected to the Internet, a necessary map information can be obtained and displayed on the terminal unit. Specifically, when a user inputs an address, a place name, a station name, an institution name, or a store name, a map of the place and its surroundings is displayed on the terminal unit as an image information. Therefore, a user can easily recognize where his destination is by referring to the displayed map information.
Now, the terminal unit for the map information retrieval service on the Internet, a personal computer, a vehicle-mounted navigation system, the PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), or a portable telephone is used. With respect to the above apparatuses, especially a portable telephone with a relatively small display capacity, it is difficult to get information about the displayed surrounding area, and requires very troublesome scroll of the display.
Since such troublesome scroll of the display makes its operability worse, increases telephone charges, and could cause an overload, then a user""s ability to obtain map information becomes tedious and disadvantageous.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a map information providing method, a map information providing system, and a recording medium on which the method programmed is recorded, wherein recognition of a surrounding area is facilitated by displaying a direction of, for example, an institution including a station on a map on a display of a client terminal unit in a map information retrieval service system using the Internet, a user""s burden is lightened by facilitating the above recognition by using, for example, 8-direction arrows by varying indication depth or color according to the distance, and the operability is improved.
In order to achieve the above object, as a first aspect of the present invention, a map information providing method used for a map information providing system wherein a map information providing server and a terminal unit are connected through a communication line comprises the steps of: inputting an institution or its related information from the terminal unit; calculating azimuth information consisting of a direction and a distance to the institution from an arbitrary position as a central position; specifying a surrounding area to be displayed on the terminal unit; and displaying map information of the surrounding area and the azimuth information on the terminal unit.
Therefore, recognition of information of the surrounding area to a destination is facilitated, and a useless scrolling operation can be omitted at the terminal unit with a small display capacity, thereby lightening the user""s burden of the recognition.
As a second aspect of the present invention, a map information providing method used for a map information providing system wherein a map information providing server and a terminal unit are connected through a communication line comprises the steps of: inputting an institution or its related information from the terminal unit; calculating azimuth information consisting of a direction and a distance to the institution from a present position as a central position; specifying a surrounding area to be displayed on the terminal unit; and displaying map information of the surrounding area and the azimuth information on the terminal unit.
Therefore, recognition of information of the surrounding area around the present position positioned by using, e.g., the Global Positioning System, to a destination is facilitated, and a useless scrolling operation can be omitted at the terminal unit with a small display capacity, thereby lightening the user""s burden of the recognition.
As a third aspect of the present invention, based on the first or second aspect, the institution is a station being a public institution.
Since a station could be the most general landmark in various institutions for recognizing the surrounding area, displaying a direction of the nearest station on a map enables a user to easily recognize the surrounding area.
As a fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the first or second aspect, the related information is at least one of an address, a place name, and a zip code.
Therefore, the surrounding area can be recognized by either an address, a place name, or a zip code in addition to an institution, the surrounding can be recognized with flexibility in addition to an improvement of the operability.
As a fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the first or second aspect, the information providing method further comprises the steps of: retrieving an institution existing within a predetermined distance from the central position; calculating a direction and a distance from the central position to the institution having been retrieved; and transmitting a result of the calculation as azimuth information to the terminal unit. As a sixth aspect of the present invention, based on the fifth aspect, the azimuth information is designated by a n-azimuth form wherein length of a line segment indicating an azimuth varies according to a distance.
As a seventh aspect of the present invention, based on the fifth aspect, the azimuth information is designated by a n-azimuth form wherein indication depth of a line segment indicating an azimuth varies according to a distance. As an eighth aspect of the present invention, based on the fifth aspect, the azimuth information is designated by a n-azimuth form wherein indication color of a line segment indicating an azimuth varies according to a distance. As a ninth aspect of the present invention, based on the sixth aspect, a name of the institution is shown near the line segment.
Therefore, when a map is displayed the direction of the nearest institution such as a station is shown by a line segment or an arrow symbol, and the visibility is enhanced by carrying out depth indication or color indication, thereby further lightening the user""s burden and improving the operability because of avoiding a useless scrolling operation.
As a tenth aspect of the present invention, based on the ninth aspect, the corresponding line segment of the n-azimuth form is not shown when the distance from the central position to the institution exceeds the predetermined distance.
This prevents the indication from needlessly becoming complicated and prevents a confusion.
As an eleventh aspect of the present invention, based on the ninth aspect, xe2x80x9cnxe2x80x9d of the n-azimuth form is 8.
Therefore, suitable direction information can be obtained.
As a twelfth aspect of the present invention, based on the ninth aspect, by selecting a desirable azimuth out of the azimuth information a detailed map of an arbitrary area around an institution relative to the selected azimuth or of a neighboring area is displayed. As a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, based on the twelfth aspect, the selection of the desirable azimuth is carried out by clicking or scrolling the azimuth being displayed.
Therefore, visibility is enhanced by changing indication depth or indication color of the 8-direction line segment, for example, according to the distance to a target institution, further burden-lightening can be attained and the operability can be improved.
As a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, a map information providing system wherein a map information providing server and a terminal unit are connected through a communication line comprises: an arithmetic portion for calculating azimuth information consisting of a direction and a distance to an institution from an arbitrary position as a central position after the institution or its related information is inputted from the terminal unit and for specifying a surrounding area to be displayed on the terminal unit; and a display information generation portion for displaying map information of the surrounding area and the azimuth information on the terminal unit, wherein the azimuth information includes information showing a distance to the institution from a predetermined position on the map information transmitted to, and displayed on, the terminal unit.
With the above structure, the distance and the direction, along with the map information, to the institution can be displayed by means of the azimuth information generation portion. Therefore, recognition of information of the surrounding area to a destination is facilitated, and a useless scrolling operation can be omitted at the terminal unit with a small display capacity, thereby lightening the user""s burden of the recognition.
As a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, based on the fourteenth aspect, the azimuth information is a line segment symbol having a plurality of line segments arranged radially at regular angle-intervals, and the arithmetic portion generates a line segment having a length corresponding to the distance. As a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, based on the fourteenth aspect, the azimuth information is a line segment symbol having a plurality of line segments arranged radially at regular angle-intervals, and the arithmetic portion generates a line segment having a indication depth corresponding to the distance. As a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, based on the fourteenth aspect, the azimuth information is a line segment symbol having a plurality of line segments arranged radially at regular angle-intervals, and the arithmetic portion generates a line segment having an indication color corresponding to the distance. As an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, based on any one of the fifteenth to seventeenth aspects, the azimuth information is an arrow symbol having a plurality of arrows arranged radially at regular angle-intervals.
Therefore, when a map is displayed the direction of the nearest institution such as a station is shown by a line segment symbol or an arrow symbol, and the visibility is enhanced by carrying out depth indication or color indication, thereby further lightening the user""s burden and improving the operability because of avoiding a useless scrolling operation.
As a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, a computer readable recording medium used for a map information providing system wherein a map information providing server and a terminal unit are connected through a communication line comprises the programed and recorded steps of: inputting an institution or its related information from the terminal unit and; calculating azimuth information consisting of a direction and a distance to the institution from an arbitrary or present position as a central position and specifying a surrounding area to be displayed on the terminal unit; and displaying map information of the surrounding area and the azimuth information on the terminal unit.
As a twentieth aspect of the present invention, based on the nineteenth aspect, the recording medium further comprises the programed and recorded steps of: retrieving an institution existing within a predetermined distance from the central position; calculating a direction and a distance from the central position to the institution having been retrieved; and transmitting a result of the calculation as azimuth information to the terminal unit. As a twenty first aspect of the present invention, based on the nineteenth aspect, the recording medium further comprises the programed and recorded steps of: generating a line segment symbol or an arrow symbol, as the azimuth information, having a plurality of line segments or arrows, respectively, arranged radially at regular angle-intervals and each having a length corresponding to the distance.
Therefore, recognition of information of the surrounding area to a destination is facilitated, and a useless scrolling operation can be omitted at the terminal unit with a small display capacity, thereby lightening the user""s burden of the recognition.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.